


101

by auroracalisto



Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Age Tattoo, F/M, Reader Insert, Soulmate AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-06-24
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:40:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23258554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/auroracalisto/pseuds/auroracalisto
Summary: [Your name] was astounded when she realized that the number on her wrist was truly the age that she would meet her soulmate.  101.  Her parents were worried about her.  Why wouldn’t they be?  Everyone they knew had normal numbers, anywhere from 15-40.  Maybe sooner, maybe later than that, but never had they knew anyone with the number 101.  All of the children in her classes constantly poked fun at it.  [Your name] paid no mind, but she still wondered why her number why that, of all things, happened to be her number instead of something like the normal kids around her.The reader is a 24-year-old baker with a bachelor's degree in botany whose best friend is her neighbor, Peter Parker.  One day, after constant begging, Peter agrees to take her on a tour of Stark Industries.  It doesn't take long for Peter to figure out that the reader might just be a certain Captain's soulmate.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Reader
Comments: 8
Kudos: 173





	1. A Pleasant Realization

**Author's Note:**

> SOULMATE AU:  
> Everyone has a tattoo of their significant other's age when they first meet. When they touch for the first time, their respective tattoos will turn from black ink to white ink. 
> 
> DISCLAIMER:  
> Timelines probably won't be the same. Since this is an AU, things will be different. Same characters, same gist of things, etc., but it won't be exactly alike.

Everyone had a soulmate; the tattoo of their partner’s age would be engrained in black of their wrists. Once they touched for the first time, the tattoo would momentarily burn and turn to white ink. The number would always be there, regardless of how much you tried to cover it up or tried to forget about it—some would understandably try to avoid the idea of their soulmate. 

[Your name] was astounded when she realized that the number on her wrist was truly the age that she would meet her soulmate. 101. Her parents were worried about her. Why wouldn’t they be? Everyone they knew had normal numbers, anywhere from 15-40. Maybe sooner, maybe later than that, but never had they knew anyone with the number 101. All of the children in her classes constantly poked fun at it. [Your name] paid no mind, but she still wondered why her number why that, of all things, happened to be her number instead of something like the normal kids around her. 

But despite all of the bad things that followed her and her number, she always woke up, looking at the number on her wrist. She wondered what number would be on her soulmate’s wrist. Letting out a soft laugh, she sat up and rolled her eyes. 

_Will I seriously be in a nursing home when I meet them?_

She shoved the blankets and comforter off of her body, going to her closet. The woman already had a long day ahead of her. She was going out with her neighbor, Peter, to visit with Tony Stark—after begging Peter for practically two weeks straight, he agreed to show her the inside of where he worked. [Your name] had never really been inside Stark Industries, and she was just grateful that her friend worked there. Walking over and taking her phone off of the charger after she slipped on a nice outfit, she looked and seen that Peter had messaged her and said that he would be at her door in a couple of minutes. She smiled and grabbed her jacket, quickly putting it on. Her jacket was followed by her shoes and she walked down the short hallway to her dining room table, grabbing her keys and her purse. The apartment was practically empty. After she turned 21, she left her parents' humble abode for a life of her own. She wanted to get something to keep her busy, but for now, she depended on the life of her plants that sat in the window seals. The 24-year-old woman walked to the door, huffing softly as she thought to herself. 

_Love Peter, but really, can I not get any friends my age?_

Peter was 19. Not that it was a big deal, but he was one of her only friends. She got along pretty well with his aunt, May, enough to say that she considered her one of her friends as well. Other than them, she had her co-workers, Lila and Elijah, and perhaps her other neighbor, Karissa, but truly, who else did she have? 

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at her front door. Reaching forward, she opened the door to reveal Peter. Peter smiled at [Your name], giving a slight wave. 

“You ready to go?” he asked, moving out of the doorway so she could come out and lock the door. [Your name] smiled at Peter and the two were on their way to his internship. 

“Really, Pete, what’s it like working for Tony Stark?” she smiled over at her friend. 

Peter rolled his eyes, a smile gracing his lips. “It’s pretty good. I get good hours, so I can’t complain,” he said. [Your name] had no idea of the bruises he had recently gotten due to a mission Tony let him go on. Not that he was about to tell her. She was one of the friends he had that didn’t know about him being Spider-man. He wasn’t about to tell her anytime, at all. 

“I’m jealous, not gonna lie,” she laughed, shaking her head. “I never had an internship. As soon as I got out of college, I got a job.” 

“I thought you liked your job—”

“I do, not the point,” she grinned, walking down the sidewalk with her friend. “I love working at the bakery. It’s just not what I imagined myself doing,” she stuffed her hands in her jacket pockets. “I kinda hoped I would end up in a field that I studied,” she laughed. 

“What did you study?” he looked at her. 

“Botany,” [Your name] replied, looking up at the Stark Industries building as they came up to it. 

Peter smiled. “I knew that. I don’t know why I asked,” he chuckled softly, holding the door open for her. “Who knows, maybe you will. Things happen at the most unexpected times,” he looked at her, shrugging his shoulders. 

[Your name] knew he was right. She especially knew it as she looked down at her wrist, seeing the number again. The woman let out a soft sigh. 101. It almost seemed like it was taunting her. She couldn’t say why, but the weight on her shoulders felt overwhelming for a second. 

“Let’s go and see if I can find Tony—er, Mr. Stark,” he said, smiling at the girl. She returned the smile and followed behind him, looking at everything they passed. She was amazed at how clean the building was. She was amazed by how much was on display for the public to see. Not that she was complaining. 

It only took a couple more minutes before they came across a laboratory with Tony Stark’s name on it. Peter knocked before pushing the door open, motioning for [Your name] to follow behind. She did, biting her lip as she looked at all of the stuff around her. Her amazement never faltered. 

“Kid, what are you doing here?” Tony asked as he moved away from his desk, looking over at Peter and seeing [Your name]. “Oh, damn, I forgot,” Tony sheepishly said, before he pulled on a smile. [Your name] looked over at him and seen Bruce Banner looking over some of the papers laying out on the tabletop.

She felt like she couldn’t breathe. Two brilliant men standing in front of her? She didn’t expect it. Well, she really didn’t know what to expect. This trip was much more nerve-wracking than she had anticipated. 

“Mr. Stark, this is my neighbor, [Your name],” Peter introduced them. “She’s the one who kept calling me the other day asking to get a tour of the building,” he snorted through his nose, partially out of amusement and partially out of annoyance. It had been hard to focus on the mission that day, because of her constant pestering. 

Tony smirked at Peter before he held out his hand to shake [Your name]’s hand. She didn’t think anything of it as she quickly reached out her hand to shake Tony’s. She had momentarily forgotten about her number until she saw Tony look right at it and she felt her breath hitch in her throat. The woman pulled her wrist back and she gave him a bit of a smile. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she said, looking over at Bruce Banner. “It’s very nice to meet you, too, Dr. Banner,” [Your name] said, the fangirl in her geeky mind coming to the surface. “I took a ton of electives in college and you spoke for a couple of them,” she said, a smile gracing her lips. 

Bruce looked over, not really expecting her to have spoken to him. He gave her a soft smile and a wave before he went back to looking at the papers. She stopped talking to him, seeing as he was busy. 

Tony looked over at Peter before he looked at [Your name].

“How old are you, [Your name]?” he asked. “Pete mentioned that you were older than him,” he chuckled softly. 

The woman rose an eyebrow, stuffing her hands back in her pockets. 

“I’m 24,” she said, tilting her head. “Why?”

Tony looked at Peter again, and Peter returned the glance with a knowing look. 

“Just wondering. Are you two going to be here long? Why don’t you go take a look around? There might be a couple more Avengers around you could meet,” Tony chuckled softly, raising an eyebrow at the two of you. 

“Um,” Peter shot Tony a look, hoping that he wouldn’t mention Spider-man at all before he turned to [Your name]. “Yeah, we can go look around. I’m sure we’ll run into someone,” he smiled at her, and she returned the smile. 

The two left the lab and began to walk down the hallway once more. 

“What are they working on?” [Your name] curiously asked. 

“Hard to tell,” laughed Peter, “they’re always working on something new.”

She smiled in return. She felt like her wrist was burning, but she had no idea why. She kept her hands in her pockets and Peter opened doors for her, when needed. She was most definitely grateful for that. 

Eventually, the two came down a sparring corridor. Or at least, a corridor that held the sparring room. [Your name] had hardly realized that they had come up so much in the building, and she wanted to ask Peter about it before he grabbed her arm and brought her into the gym. She shot him a confused look and Peter gave her a sheepish grin, looking towards the ring. 

Her heart jumped to her throat. 

Captain America and the Winter Soldier were sparring in the ring. 

_Dear God, strike me down, now, please._

[Your name] felt her cheeks flush as she watched them fight, mostly looking at Captain America. The fighting only stopped when the dark-haired man got the lighter’s attention by pointing towards the door and saying, “Peter.”

Steve looked over his shoulder, still in his fighting position when he laid eyes on [Your name]. He felt his heartbeat faster than it already had been, and he turned to face them completely, sending a questioning look towards Peter. 

Peter pulled [Your name]’s arm out of her jacket and she immediately protested—however, he brought down her sleeve, ignoring the death glare [Your name] was giving him. Steve saw the number on her wrist: 101. Looking back at Bucky, he rather quickly got out of the ring and grabbed a towel so he could wipe the sweat from his face as he came over to the pair. [Your name] seen the number on Steve’s wrist and she felt her face pale. 24. 

Her eyes widened as she looked at Peter, a panicked expression on her face as she looked back at Steve’s wrist. “You—”

Steve hesitantly held out his hand to take ahold of hers and she didn’t stop him. Immediately, the dark tattoos created a burning pain for both of them and quickly turned to white ink. 

[Your name] stared at her tattoo, looking up at Steve with wide eyes. She could hardly believe it. Without thinking, she dropped the purse she had brought along and wrapped her arms around his strong torso. Without missing a beat, Steve’s arms wrapped tightly around the girl’s body. 

Peter looked towards Bucky with a bit of a surprised look, which Bucky returned. Bucky had met his soulmate soon after he was taken under the Avenger’s wings. She was a therapist who had helped him get his nightmares under control. Steve felt like he would never meet his soulmate, especially since Bucky had barely been back when he found his. But now, Steve was holding his soulmate. 

[Your name] trembled in Steve’s arms. She truly thought that she wouldn’t meet him until she was close to death. This was not how she imagined she would meet the person she would be spending the rest of her life with. 


	2. Coffee Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To get to know each other, Steve and the reader go on a coffee date. The two chat and eventually leave to the reader's apartment.

After a minute of hugging the man, [Your name] pulled away to look at him. Steve returned her gaze, his cheeks flushed. She couldn’t tell if it was because he was embarrassed or more than likely because he had just been fighting his friend. 

“I—I’m sorry, I just—I never thought I would meet my soulmate,” she finally spoke after the silence had become deafening. 

Steve smiled a bit. “You and me, both,” he said, glancing towards Peter who was smiling. “Did you know—?”

“No,” Peter quickly shook his head. “Just figured it out today,” he sent [Your name] a wink. 

[Your name] blushed and took a step back from Steve. She was mildly embarrassed now. “I—maybe we could go out and get a coffee or something?” she softly asked, her heels digging into the floor beneath her feet. 

Steve smiled a bit. “Sure, just let me get changed?”

[Your name] only smiled, nodding in response.

* * *

They found themselves sitting in a little café just a little past 65th street. It was quaint and definitely reminded [Your name] of the cottage core aesthetic that constantly made its way to her social media. 

[Your name] ordered her favorite coffee, while Steve ordered just a black coffee. They were quiet for a moment before Steve spoke up. 

“What . . . what made you think that you would never find your soulmate?” he asked, giving her a soft smile.

She rose an eyebrow as she leaned back in her chair. “Other than the fact that the number was 101?” she smiled, looking down at the white ink that now adorned her wrist. She listened as Steve let out a soft laugh. [Your name]’s cheeks flushed, and she looked towards his arm. 

He moved his wrist so she could see the number again. 

“You’re not bothered by that?” he asked, keeping his eyes on hers. 

She furrowed her eyebrows, “Why would that bother me?”

“I mean, wouldn’t that make me nearly 80 years older than you?” he rose his own eyebrow, thanking the waitress as she brought the two coffee orders to their table. 

He let his sit there to cool and watched as [Your name] shrugged and took a sip of her own hot drink. She immediately regrets it and put her mug of coffee down, placing a hand over her mouth. She blushed and cleared her throat before she spoke again.

“It’s, uh, hot—”

Steve let out a laugh, smiling at the woman. 

“I could’ve told you that,” Steve said. 

[Your name] scratched the back of her neck, slightly biting the tip of her tongue to keep the feeling of the hot coffee at bay. “Steve, um—I was, uh, wondering, we should probably get to know each other, yeah?” she asked, crossing her ankles together under the table. “Should we play a game or something?”

He rose an eyebrow in response, beckoning for her to continue. “A game?”

“Yeah, like truth or truth,” she smiled at him.

He chuckled softly, “I think Peter played that once with Bucky. Did you get it from him?”

“Yes,” [Your name] immediately said. “I can go first—”

“I can,” Steve smiled, taking a sip of his still hot coffee. He thought for a moment before he looked at the girl sitting across from him. “I honestly never thought I would find my soulmate. I thought that they died or something,” he admitted, scratching the back of his arm. “I mean, I know that your tattoo is supposed to change or disappear if your soulmate dies before you meet them, but still.”

“I thought I was gonna die when I met them,” she laughed almost instantaneously. “You have no idea how many times I looked at my number and wondered if I was gonna meet you in a nursing home or some shit like that—”

“A nursing home?” he chuckled softly. “Do I look that old?”

“No, no, I just meant—”

“I’m joking,” he gingerly smiled at the girl. “I . . . I actually thought I had met my soulmate before I became a super-soldier. Of course, that wasn’t true. But . . . I thought I had.”

[Your name] watched him with soft eyes. “I’m sorry,” she softly said. 

“You have nothing to be sorry about.” Steve shook his head. “I just wanted you to know that, you know, since this is truth or truth—”

A smile appeared on the girl’s face. “Alright, alright. I, um . . . hell, this is harder than I expected it to be,” she let out a soft laugh. 

Steve blushed. He knew they were soulmates, but damn, she was perfect. Her laugh made him melt on the inside. 

“I, uh, majored in botany in college and now I work at a bakery on Lexington Ave,” she said. 

“What bakery?” he quickly asked. 

“Uh, it’s called Cakes, Cookies, and Confections,” she replied, taking a drink of her coffee. It was still hot, but not scalding as it once had been. 

He smiled. “Tony’s gotten Peter to buy some baked goods there before—do you do most of the baking?”

She smiled and nodded. “Me and my co-workers. Lila and Elijah. There’s always someone out front to deal with customers and then my boss does a little bit of everything. He’s nice,” she shrugged. “I mostly take care of cake orders and cupcakes. Lila does, too. If you get cannoli or doughnuts or something, Lila does that. Elijah takes care of cookies and croissants—”

“Sounds like you’ve got your hands full,” he smiled at her, watching her closely. “My mom would bake whenever she was still alive.”

[Your name]’s eyes softened. “What kind of stuff would she make?”

He chuckled softly. “Anything she could afford to make,” he grinned. “She . . . I think my mom would have really liked you,” he admitted, watching as the woman blushed. 

[Your name] smiled at Steve, looking down at her coffee as she took another drink from it. 

* * *

They spent most of the afternoon at the little café. Some noticed Steve and asked for a picture and an autograph. He did so, only after [Your name] told him she didn’t mind. She smiled the whole time. She admired him, greatly so. When Steve realized it was nearly 5 in the afternoon, the two got ready to leave. Steve offered to walk her home and that’s exactly what they did. 

Steve brought her to her door, a soft smile on his lips. “I have a cellphone,” he quickly said. 

[Your name] let out a soft giggle and she pulled her phone out, quickly setting up a contact so he could put his number in her phone.

“Thank you,” Steve smiled at the woman. “I, uh,” he looked towards her door as she unlocked it. “I had a really nice time. I really would like to see you tomorrow, or, uh, whenever it’s convenient for you—”

“Is the super-soldier getting shy?” [Your name] teased, turning to face him with a soft smile. “I would really like that. Will you let me know when you get back to your house?” she asked, with a bit of a worried expression. 

His eyes widened a bit before he nodded. “Of course, I will,” he said, giving her a soft smile. It was odd. He felt like he was acting odd, for sure. This girl . . . broke into his tough exterior in just a day. But maybe that was because they truly were soulmates. Not that he minded. He liked knowing that someone would be able to get to him when he needed it. 

“Steve, I—” she watched him for a moment before she spoke. “On second thought, maybe you could stay for a while? You don’t have to stay the night—just for an hour or so. I can make dinner or something.”

Steve’s smile grew. “I would really like that,” he said. He only came into the apartment when [Your name] moved to let him in. Steve’s cheeks were dusted with a soft blush and so were [Your name]’s. 

She had to admit—she had never been so bold to just invite an almost total stranger into her apartment. But she had to remind herself, the universe wanted them to be together. 

That thought made her smile to herself as she led him back to her spacey kitchen. 


	3. For the Rest of Our Lives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For once, [Your name] is glad her number is what it is. The worry she once had will never come back, again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SORRY THAT I HAVEN'T UPDATED THIS SINCE MARCH BUT UH HERE IS THE ENDING THAT I NEVER EXACTLY PROMISED

Steve sat down at the island in the middle of the kitchen, looking around. He smiled when [Your name]’s eyes met with his. 

“What do you like? I can make just about anything—um, I have the stuff to make a salad, I could make pasta, a casserole,” she said, opening up her refrigerator. “Oh!” she smiled and pulled out a thing of half-used broth. “Would you mind eating soup?” she looked over at the man. “It’ll be good, I promise.”

He smiled. “I’ll eat whatever.”

[Your name] smiled and went to work, making her favorite kind of soup. “Steve, there are sweets in the jar over there if you want any.”

“You have a sweet jar?”

“Yes,” she smiled. “It was my grandmother’s.”

He smiled to himself. His mother had a sweet jar whenever he was a young child. He could remember only getting into it whenever he did something that his mother was proud of (which was almost everything—his mother loved him very much and praised him for even the littlest of things). He watched [Your name] sit the pot’s lid over the warming liquid. She then moved to sit across the island from him, smiling. 

“It should cook down in just a half-hour.”

He grinned. “It already smells amazing, [Your name].”

She blushed. She wondered what the man was like. Sure, she knew what she knew from the media and what she had learned from Peter. But she wondered what Steve was truly like. What made him run? What were his fears? What did he do when it rained late at night? [Your name] leaned her arms against the counter, sending him a smile. 

“I’m sorry that I’m not very interesting, Steve,” she said. 

He tilted his head. “What?” he smiled softly. 

“Well, I’m not like you. I’m not a super-soldier or a super-hero. I’m a baker who’s degree is basically useless,” she giggled softly, resting her head on her hand with her elbow pressed up against the counter. 

“You don’t have to be any of that to be interesting, [Your name]. And besides, I think you’ll find a use for your degree. I wasn’t able to go to college,” he smiled. “I think it’s great that you had the opportunity.” 

“You think?” she smiled. 

Steve nodded. 

She smiled a bit more. “That’s funny,” she giggled. She watched his confused expression. “How much things have changed since you were younger. You know? When you were my age, you never really thought about going to college. Now, college is something that you have to do to get pretty far unless you get lucky or go to some trade school. I… the fact that your eighty years older than me is…” she looked at him, smiling all the while. “Steve, you’re nothing that I expected my soulmate to be. But I am so glad that my soulmate is you.”

His eyes widened a bit, a blush coating his cheeks as a soft smile appeared. “Thank you, [Your name].”

She smiled, perking up a bit as she stood up and grabbed two bowls from a cabinet. She ladled soup into both of them and then brought the bowls back to the island. “Here. Do you want a drink?” she asked. 

“Water’s fine.”

She smiled and went to the refrigerator again, grabbing two water bottles—one for him and one for her. She sat back down in front of him. 

All that time her parents worried for their daughter—it was all for nothing. For the man that sat in front of her was one in a million. He was truly one of a kind. And for once in her twenty-four years of life, she was glad that her number was 101 and not like one of the normal ones everyone else had. 


End file.
